MEN'S HEALTH WATCH

Published Online: Friday, August 1, 2008

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Irregular Sleep Patterns Risky for Older Men

In the first study of its kind, researchers found that older
men with abnormal sleeping patterns may face a greater risk
of death. The findings were presented recently at the annual
meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

For up to 13 nights, the 3053 participants aged >67 wore
wrist actigraphs, wristwatch-like devices that measure body
movement and allow researchers to assess when individuals
are awake or asleep. The researchers followed the patients for
6 years to record if and when they died.

Differences in mortality rates remained even after factoring
in poor health, race, and alcohol intake. The participants who
hit their peaks of activity at the earliest and latest times of day
were 80% more prone to die.

The study results are inconclusive because the researchers
did not calculate how many years earlier the patients died if
they had abnormal sleeping patterns. Furthermore, the findings
did not make clear whether night owls or early risers are
at risk.

Low Testosterone Going Untreated?

Despite access to care, men
with low testosterone (androgen
deficiency) levels do not
receive care, according to a
study reported in the May 26,
2008, issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine. The study
included 97 Boston-area men,
of whom only 11 were prescribed
treatment.

Treatments included testosterone
gel (1 patient); testosterone
patch (3 patients); testosterone
cream (1 patient); an
injectable form of testosterone
called testosterone cypionate
(1 patient); and unspecified formulations
of testosterone (5
patients). The researchers noted
that men with untreated androgen
deficiency were more prone
to have low socioeconomic status,
no health insurance, and to
depend on the emergency room
or hospital outpatient clinic for
primary care.

The researchers also found
that all men with treated and
untreated low testosterone
were more likely to report
receiving regular care and visiting
their physician more often.

?And Linked with Health Conditions

New studies show that low testosterone levels put men
at great risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and early
death. Some health care experts suggest that low testosterone
levels are associated with depression, decreased
libido, and metabolic
syndrome and that testosterone
replacement therapy may have positive effects.

One study found that testosterone treatment considerably
reduced abdominal fat, total cholesterol, lowdensity
lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and body
mass index, while also helping to raise high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol. A second showed that men older
than 63 benefited as much as younger men, and a third
study found that low testosterone ups a man?s chance
of premature death from any cause in the long run.
The studies were presented recently at the Endocrine
Society?s annual meeting.

Gender Disparities Exist with CAP Treatment

Research from the University
of Pittsburgh found disparities
in how men and women with
community-acquired pneumonia
(CAP) were treated in emergency
rooms (ERs). The study
examined roughly an equal number
of men and women with
CAP recruited in the ERs of 28
US hospitals.

The study indicated that
women, on average,
manifested
pneumonia symptoms
for a longer
time before going to the ER,
but a majority already had been
prescribed antibiotics before
admission. Men, however, went
to the hospital with more complications
and had worse vital
signs. Once admitted, men more
often received antibiotics within
8 hours and were twice as likely
to be admitted to the intensive
care unit. The study also found
that men had a greater risk of
dying within a year.

Inadequate Vitamin D Levels Up Heart Attack Odds

Medical records and blood samples from 454 men, aged
40 to 75, indicated that a vitamin D deficiency may raise the
risk of heart attack in men. The participants had a nonfatal
heart attack or fatal heart disease and were compared with
900 men who had no history of cardiovascular disease.

Reporting in the June 9, 2008, issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine, the researchers found that men with a
vitamin D deficiency (≤15 ng/mL of blood) had more risk
of heart attack, compared with patients with a sufficient
amount of vitamin D (≥30 ng/mL of blood). "These results
further support an important role for vitamin D in myocardial
infarction risk," concluded the researchers.

F A S T F A C T : The most commonly diagnosed cancers among men are prostate, lung, and colorectal.